Current-director.



PATENTED JULY 14, 1908.

J. F. MOELROY.

CURRENT DIRECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED 1 22.20, 1899.

E ven [31 601mm @mfloywould 0 @o/myvoru Hitm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. McELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIG-NOR TO CONSOLIDATED OAR-HEATING COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

CURRENT-DIRECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

1 Application filed February 20, 1899. Serial No. 706,166.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, JAMES F. MoELRoY, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ourrent-Directors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to current directors; and the object of my invention is to provide an automatic mechanism, so arranged and connected up that a change in voltage of the current in the main rector in such a manner as to change gradually but positively the direction of the flow of current through an auxiliary device controlling the voltage whenever it varies from a certain predetermined standard. I attain this object by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2 are elevations of my invention, in which the current director is constantly in contact, Fig. 1 showing the position when the operating bar is in equilibrium, and Fig. 2 showing the position when it is acted upon by the electromagnet. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of an indicator.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In electric lighting systems, especially those adapted for use on railway cars or trains, it is important to arrange for main: taining the voltage of current transmitted to the lamp circuit constant. The dynamo, which is usually connected with the axle of a car, .is constantly varying in the electro-motive force generated, depending upon the rapidity with which the car is moved unless regulated so as to avoid such variations and in many other places it is advisable to maintain the voltage of the current constant as when speed is decreased the voltage will still be maintained constant, this being done by the operation of the motor or other'device operating the rheostat, which will be regulated by the current passing to the lamp circuit either from the dynamo, or storage battery, or othersource of supply. I do not inline will operate the di-' spring.

tend to limit myself to the location of the current director, nor to the apparatus to which the motor controlled thereby is con nected, and I therefore do not illustrate more definitely the source from which the current comes, nor the work to be performed by it, but simply show the means of changing the direction of the current by the director through a motor.

The wires A and B are the main line carrying the current, A being the positive and B the negative. The electro-mtgnet C of the solenoid type is connected in a shunt between these wires and tends to operate the plunger -D. Attached to the plunger I arrange a spring (1, suitably supported, the tension of the spring being in the direction opposite to the pull of the lated to correspond to the amountof pull desired in the magnet when the current director shall be at equilibrium. When a greater current passes through the magnet than that stant voltage of the circuit, the plunger D will be drawn down When 'a less current is passing through the magnet the resiliency of the spring will draw the plunger out of the magnet, and make different contacts. H represents the motor.

I use four contact piles of carbon 31, 32, 33, 34, Figs. 1 and 2, the operating lever 35 having contacts which are in contact with said carbon piles at all times and when the lever is at equilibrium, the disks of carbon making up the piles are not in close contact with each other, but form a poor conductor. When the lever is operated as shown in Fig. 2, the carbons 32 on one side of the lever arms are compressed, and the posite are also compressed, thus making the current traverse the direction of the comressed carbons, for at the same time the caron disks in the piles 31 and 34 are separated, and their resistance is therefore increased, the pressure being taken off them. The brushes h and h are connected with the contacts 75 and 76 respectively, which contacts are carried by the lever 35 to which the plunger D is secured. The carbon piles 32 and 34 are in contact with the'blocks 77 and 78 which are by suitable wires connected with the wire A of the main line. The carbon piles 31 and 33 are in contact with the blocks 79 and 80 magnet upon the'plunger D. It is apparent that the springmay be reguwhich is due to the desired 0011* I against the tension 0 the carbons 33, diagonally opv which are connected by wire to the Wire B of the main line. This apparatus embodies the principle of carbon resistance terminals, but affords a wider range of resistance variation than do the forms heretofore employed.

I show in connection by Fig. 3 an indicating device which is also an adjuster for the current director. The spring S which may be secured to the lunger d is wound about the spindle to whic the pointer Pis attached. I preferably arrange a series of figures or letters, indicating the volts of the current. By moving the pointer I I either wind the spring upon its spindle or loosen it therefrom, and thus shorten or lengthen the portion of the plunger cl in the electromagnet, and therefore cause the elcctromagnet to change the direction of the current when a less or greater amount of current is passing through the magnet, depending upon the position of the pointer. The letters or figures on the dial show the volts at which the current will be maintained.

It will be noticed that I provide a yielding contact, arranging the contact plates in such a manner that providing contact is made with one of the contact blocks before the other, the blocks at which contact is made will yield, bringing the other block into contact. This result is attained in the device shown in the figures by the carbon disks becoming compressed when contact is made, which in this manner forms a yielding contact. In automatic contact devices, it is peculiarly desirable that there shall be this yielding feature, otherwise the director is constantly liable to cause damage. I

I will also call attention to the fact that my current director is in every respect automatic in its operation, and performs its result positively and without the manipulation of an operator. Also, that the device is simple in its construction, and at the same time so arranged that the vibration and jar attendant upon a moving train cannot affect the parts in relation to each other so asto make 1t inoperative.

The use of carbon for contacts is moreover particularly desirable, because of the fact that it does not blister, oxidize or peel 01f,

and may, as in the case in Figs. 1 and 2, be used in piles of carbon disks.

' I claim:

1. In a current director, an operating lever; a series of carbon piles; contacts on said lever engaging each of said carbon piles; a translating device, the opposite poles ofsaid translating device connected with said contacts on said lever respectively, said carbon pile's connected with the main wires of the circuit; a solenoid; a spring connected with said lever, said solenoid placed in the main line circuit, substantially as described.

2. In a current director, an operating lever; a series of carbon piles; a solenoid; a retracting spring; a translating device; circuit connections made to the carbon piles controlled by the spring and solenoid; poles in the translating device, connected with contacts on the said lever adapted to engage with the carbon piles respectively.

3. In a current director, an operating lever; a series of carbon piles, said carbon piles placed in reference to thelever as follows one on each side of the lever and on each side of the fulcrum thereof; a solenoid; a retracting spring; a translating device; circuit connections made to the carbon piles controlled by the spring and solenoid, the poles of the translating device connected with contacts on the lever engaging with the carbon piles respectively.

4. In a current director, an operating lever; four carbon piles, one being placed on each side of the fulcrum and on each side of the lever; a solenoid; a retracting spring; a motor; circuit connections made to the carbon piles/controlled by the spring and solenoid, the brushes of the motor connected with contacts on said lever engaging said carbon piles respectively; an indicating device connected with said lever, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Albany, N. Y. this 17th day of February, 1899.

JAMES F. MOELROY. Witnesses:

J. M. EsrERLY, CHAS. B. MITCHELL. 

